Cessna T210M accident near Kansas City, Missouri, December 20, 1985
On December 20, 1985 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna T210M, registered N761YS, was involved in an accident near Kansas City, Missouri (Kansas City Downtown airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 20, 1985 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Kansas City, Missouri · Kansas City Downtown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210M · all T210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N761YS · registry record · serial 21062630
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS SEEN TO ENTER THE ACFT FOR A SHORT TIME AND THEN GET OUT, GO TO THE FRONT OF THE ACFT AND PULL DOWN ON THE PROP. THE ENG FIRED AND THE PROP STRUCK THE PILOT'S HEAD. A PLT WHO APPROACHED THE ACFT MOMENTS AFTER THE ACDT LOOKED INTO THE COCKPIT AND NOTED THE MAG SWITCH ON BOTH AND THE MASTER SWITCH ON. THE ENG CONTROLS WERE ALSO FULL FORWARD AND THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS ON THE RT TANK.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,033 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 2, 1985; 110 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: MO06 Kansas City MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point 1°F (-17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from MKC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.